Kelp Forests•Dominated by brown seaweeds in the Laminariales•Found in clear, shallow water, nutrient rich andusually < 20°C, exposed to open sea•Generally laminarian seaweeds have high growth rates,often of the order of cm/d•“Forests” can be 10-20 m high or only a meter in height

Complex life cycle•Laminarian kelps have a complex lifecycle alternating between a large asexualsporophyte and a small gametophyteZoosporesDiploidsporophyteSporophytedevelopmentAntherozoidsMicroscopic, haploidMale gametophyteEggfusionSori ofunilocularsporangiaMicroscopic,haploidFemale gametophyte

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Kelp Forests are Diverse•Kelp forests have many species ofseaweeds, even if sometimes dominatedby one species•Many invertebrate species present,especially sessile benthic species living onhard substrata - suspension feederscommon

Kelp Forest Community Structure•Nereocystis - winner in succession??•Urchins die -> kelp recruitment - several species•Although Nereocystisis often an upper canopy species,with fronds at the surface, it is often an annual and diesback each year•Laminariagradually shades out other seaweeds wins ifno dense urchin populationsSuccession:

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